


Milkshakes

by wheel_pen



Series: Lucy [2]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-22
Updated: 2013-04-22
Packaged: 2017-12-09 06:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/770806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheel_pen/pseuds/wheel_pen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lex wants Lana to expand the Talon’s beverage offerings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Milkshakes

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Lucy, my original character, is Clark’s cousin on the Kent side. Although human she may have some strange psychic powers and definitely has some issues in her past. She’s having a tough time with her mom and goes to live with Jonathan and Martha for a while. She and Lex form a relationship.
> 
> 2\. In my world, Lex eventually becomes President. And his staff is from The West Wing. 
> 
> 3\. I started writing this series during the third season of Smallville, so it diverges from canon then or earlier.
> 
> 4\. Underage warning: This story may contain human or human-like teenagers, in high school, in sexual situations.
> 
> 5\. The bad words are censored. That’s just how I do things.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this AU. I own nothing and appreciate the chance to play in this universe.

            Lana took a plate of muffins out of the microwave and turned around to face the customer she’d heard settle in at the bar. “Hi, Lex!” she enthused cheerfully when she saw who it was. “What can I get for you today?”

            Lex glanced around the Egyptian-themed coffee shop in what he hoped was a casual manner, as if he were merely assessing what the most popular beverage was today instead of checking that the other patrons were mostly out of hearing range. Lana’s expression when he looked back at her was picture-perfect “cute but quizzical.”

            “Actually, I came to talk business,” he told her. “Although I guess I can drink a cappuccino while I do it.”

            Pleased to assist, Lana quickly whipped him up a frothy, caffeinated beverage and set it down before the older man. “So, what about business?” she pressed before he’d even taken a sip. Although Smallville seemed to possess more than its share of clueless youth, when it came to the Talon, Lana was sharper and more aggressive than she was about anything else in her life.

            “Well,” Lex began, “I was thinking that the Talon could use an addition to its menu.”

            Almost unconsciously Lana glanced around at the pastries (many courtesy of Kent Farm), the exotic coffees, the tea and juice and fruit crowding the counters and the display cases. It seemed to her like the Talon’s menu was _already_ more extensive than she had ever imagined. “What did you have in mind?” she asked dubiously.

            “Milkshakes.” Such an innocent word, stated so blandly, so casually.

            Lana’s dark eyes narrowed in confusion. “Milkshakes?” She wondered if Lex was putting her on for some reason.

            Instead he nodded, blue-grey eyes apparently serious. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and spread it out on the counter—it was a print-out from a commercial website, showing a shiny milkshake mixer with two heads and a stack of tall metal cups. It wasn’t shown next to anything for scale, but Lana had seen similar-looking ones in other restaurants and it didn’t look like it would take up _too_ much room. Still...

            “I don’t know, Lex,” she hedged. “I don’t know how much of a market there would be for them.”

            “Well, it’s not just the milkshakes,” he assured her. “Once you’ve got the machine, you can make fruit smoothies, frozen coffee mixes. And you can sell the ice cream directly, too. The milkshakes would of course be made of _real_ ice cream,” he added, “not pre-made mixes.”

            Lex had apparently given this a lot of thought already, unfortunately. “It’s not that I think it’s a _bad_ idea, Lex,” she told him carefully, and he arched an eyebrow. “But, I’m just not sure the Talon is doing well enough financially to expand quite that much. I mean,” she continued hurriedly, “I’d have to get a freezer for the ice cream, which would take up a lot of space and electricity, and there would be a whole list of new ingredients I’d need that I don’t currently order, and then I’d have to train people how to use the machine properly...”

            She trailed off when she saw Lex reaching into his pocket again. This time he pulled out a check, already made out _and_ signed. Her eyes widened at the amount of money it was for as he handed it to her. “For the milkshake machine, the freezer, and estimated supplies, electricity, and labor costs for the first month,” he explained easily. Lana’s look of surprise didn’t abate. “Every month that it doesn’t pay for itself, just send me the bill.”

            Well, she could hardly turn down _that_ kind of offer. Lana took a deep breath as her mind started working through what kind of decisions she would need to make, and how soon, to get the operation going. “Wow, Lex,” she finally commented, carefully folding the check and tucking it into her jeans pocket, “I didn’t realize you were so fond of milkshakes.”

            For the first time Lex looked a little... sheepish, perhaps? Furtive, maybe? Before he was forced to reply, however, someone slapped him on the shoulder in a familiar manner and slid onto the stool next to him. Smoothly Lex grabbed the milkshake machine ad off the counter and stuffed into his pocket, all the while holding Lucy’s gaze with a friendly smile. “Hi, Lucy.”

            “Hey, Lex. Hey, Lana.”

            Lana smiled at the redhead. “Um, what can I get for you, Lucy?” Unfortunately the Talon didn’t have much that Lucy could enjoy, what with her caffeine-sensitive medication. Coffee, tea, and anything chocolate were out.

            Lucy glanced over the “Other” portion of the menu then went with her usual choice. “Maybe just some apple juice or something?”

            Lana nodded and fetched a bottle from the refrigerator. Lex, as usual, paid for it while Lucy struggled to unseal the cap. Today she managed it; they were not always so lucky—once Lana had had to dig an ancient metal can opener out of the back room so they could pop the top.

            Lex and Lucy stayed only long enough for him to finish his coffee; Lana watched them out of the corner of her eye as she served the other customers. They chatted easily, smiled, even laughed a little bit, although Lex never let his guard down too much in public. The most interesting part, Lana noticed, was that Lucy was allowed to _touch_ Lex—not in any kind of... _inappropriate_ way, of course (Lana blushed at the thought), but just a hand on his arm, a teasing jostle of the shoulders. The kind of touching that friends normally did with each other, except that Lex Luthor usually stayed snugly behind unbreakable walls that kept everyone else a good three feet away.

            Lana shook her head as she watched Lex leave a generous tip on the counter before the pair exited together. A few of the other people in the Talon might have exchanged significant looks upon seeing the Kent girl with that Luthor _again_ , but Lana figured, if Lex and Clark could be such good friends, it was only natural that Clark’s cousin would associate with Lex on a regular basis. Still... even _Clark_ was rarely allowed physical contact...

            Lana decided she couldn’t devote any more time to _that_ subject. She, apparently, had a milkshake system to implement. And she had a feeling that if Lex didn’t like any part of it—her flavor choices, for example—he wasn’t exactly going to keep quiet about it.


End file.
